Ironing machine



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. B. KIRBY IRONING MACHINE Filed May 8, 2

1N.VE.NTOR. James B. Ynrby ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5 1926.

Jan. '5 {1926.

J. B. KIRBY IRONING'MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May s, 1922 INVENTOR.James B.K'n*by BY v [r I A I ATTORNEY.

Jan; 5,1926. 1,568,166

J. B. KIRBY IRONING MACHINE Filed lay 8, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

Fig.4.

INVENTOR.

Y James 5; Kit by j ATTORNEY. 4

Jan. 5,1926. 1,568,166

' J. B. KIRBY IRQNING MACHINE Filed May 8, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VENTOR.

' 1 Jimes UK I BY r I i A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

JAMES B. KIBBY, WEST BICHFIELD, OHIO.

IRONING uacnmn.

Application filed Kay 8,

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVest' Richfield, in the county of Summit.

I and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Ironing Machines, of which the followingjs a full,

clear, and exact'description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings;

This invention relates to ironing machines ofthe type designed primarilyfor domestic use and has for its main object the provision of a machineof maximum sim licity which shall perform the largest possible kinds ofworkwith a minimum of'efiort or skill on the operators part. Subsidiaryobjects of the invention are the provision of a machine wherein themovement and pressure of the ironing shoe are produced in a new way and2l) by the action of the motor; the provision of a machine having pluralspeeds selectively usable; the provision of a new construction forsecuring an open ended device without a structural weakness; theprovision of simple control devices located at a plurality of points foreffecting movement of the shoe and controlling the amount of suchmovement; the'provision of new means for re while further objects andadvantages ofthe invention-will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds. 1

One of the most salient features of the invention is the use of fluidpressure for ef- 85 pressure of the same, this pressure being producedby a motor driven pump.

1 In the'drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application Ihave shown one' o the many physical structures in which my inventiveidea can be embodied, this drawing being intended to be illustra.-.

tive only and not limiting upon me. Fig.

1 is a front elevation of a complete ironing machine containing myinvention; Figs. 2 and?) are left and right end elevations, respectively, of the samemachine; Fig. 4 represents a vertical section,corresponding to the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a top plan respondingto the line 6-6 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 in perspective view of the open end ofleasing the shoe in case the. power fails;

fecting the operation and controlling, the

view of the gear casing with the cover removed; Flg. .6 1s across-sectional view cor-' 1922. i Serial No. 559,237.

the machine; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the cylinders andthe'distance controlling device; and Fig. 9 is a diagram of the pressureconnections.

Describing by reference characters the parts herein shown 1 represents asuitable supporting frame'having a horizontal feeding shelf2 at the topand a horizontal re ceiving shelf 3 at a lower point. The upper shelf issupported front-the lower shelf bymeans of standards at the forward partof the frame, and pivoted at 5, 5 to suitable standards 6, at therearward part of said frame are the levers 7, 7 which carry theelongated ironing shoe 8 extending from end to end of the machine inrear of the feeding shelf 2. J ournaled in the upright 6 at theleft-hand end of the machine isthe bracket is offset aconsiderableidistance from the plane of the upright 4, this upright be-,

ing therefore displaced a corresponding distance inwardly from the endof the roll as J shown in Figs. 1 and-7, 'while the shoe 7 extendsto'the end of the roll thereby pro-- ducing an open ended machine whichis particularly convenient for ironing cufi's, collars, skirt hems, andother articles which cannot conveniently be put through the body of themachine. This bracket preferably projects substantially' horizontallyfrom the upright 4 as shown in Fig. 7 and the receiving shelf 3 ispreferably projected lengthwise a sufficient distance to catch articlesironed at that 'oint.

' Secured at the 1e t-hand end of the machine is a casing member havingat its upper part a hollow gear chamber 12 and having at its lower parta fluid-pressure reservoir 13, a pump cylinder 14, and a sump 15. Thegear chamber 12 is traversed by a partition 16 and between'saidpartition and the end of the casing opposite thereto are jour- "naled apair of parallel shafts-17 and 18,

respectively, the latter being aligned with the roll shaft 9. Rigidlysecured to the end of the shaft 18 is one member 20of a clutch, and'slidably splined on the end of the shaft 9 is a clutch spool 21cooperating therewith and controlled by the pivoted lever 22 which hasone end extended as shown at 23 to a point where it can be engaged by aprojection 24 carried by the shoe 8 in such wise that the clutch will beengaged when the shoe is moved to within a predetermined distance of theroll 10, being disengaged by a suitable spring 25 whenever this distanceis exceeded. Loosely journaled on the shaft 18 at the other side of thepartition 16 are two unequal sized spur gears 27 and 28, respeetively,having clutch teeth 29-429 on their adjacent faces adaptedto be engagedselectively by companion teeth carried by the slidable clutch spool 30,splined to said shaft between them and moved by the yoke 31 controlledby the lever 32, The shaft 17 is located below the shaft 18 and carriesrigid pinions 3435 of unequal size meshing with the gears 27 and 28,respectively. The inner end of the shaft 17 on the opposite side of thepartition 16 is provided with a worm gear 36 carrying a wrist pin 37,

which drives the pump plunger 38 by means of the pitman 39 and mesheswith the worm 40 carried by the shaft of an electric motor 11 mounted onthe shelf 42 at the rear of the casing.

Carried by the frame 1 below the shelf 3 are a pair of horizontalcylinders 45-45 having movable'tightly fitting pistons 46 therein andpiston rods 47 passing snugly through packing glands -18 and articulatedby suitable links 49 to the lower end of the arms 7 which carry the shoe8. The two ends of these cylinders are connected by suitable pipes 50-51with a two-way valve 52 which may be located at any convenient point onthe machine but is here shown as carried by the top of the sump 15. Oneport of this valve is connected to the sump and the other with thereservoir by the pipe 54. It will be seen that when the valve 52 isturned to one position the fluid pressure" moved to the oppositeposition it will reverse such action drawing the shoe away from theroll. Also, inasmuch as it is not necessary to draw the shoe away withthe same force that it is pressed against the roll, the parts are soarranged that the withdrawing movement is produced by the pressureexerted upon that side of the piston which carries the piston-rod, andthis rod is made of, such size as to reduce the effective area of thepiston by a suitable degree.

For convenience in manipulating this valve with all types of work I haveillustrated a rock shaft 56 as journaled in the uprights 4: beneath thefeed shelf 2 and having at each end the hand levers 57-5S, connection tothe valve being effected by the arm 59 and link 60. 'With thisarrangement it is possible for the operator while using the middle partof the roll to control the movement of the shoe by the use of eitherhand, and while using the open end of the roll to operate the shoe bythe lever 58.

It is desirable to withdraw the shoe from the roll to differentdistances under different operating conditions: for example, it issometimes desirable in feeding articles to the machine to retract theshoe momentarily a verysmall amount, for example, from a quarter to ahalf inch, to enable the insertion of the article to be ironed; at othertimes to effect a larger opening, either'for the purpose of arran ingthe article or to prevent burning of t e roll during a protracted wait;and on other occasions to effect an extreme opening. in order to wax theshoe or for other purposes. It is also desirable not to effect an undulygreat displacement at any time to avoid delay and this plate asconstituting the base of the corresponding cylinder, the steps being soarranged as to arrest the rearward move ment of the shoe at positions ofone half inch, two inches, and six inches, or thereabout as may bedesired. The face'of the pawl is made wider-than the face of the plateas shown in Fig. 8, and alongside each plate I locate a pivoted ramp 66upon which the overhanging portion of the pawl may rest. These ramps arerigidly secured to a suitable rock shaft 67 which extends from end toend of the machine, the free end of that r'amp which is located at theright hand end of the machine'being provided with an out turnedresilient arm 68 which projects through an arcuate slot 69 formed in themachine frame; and the free end of the other ramp being provided with anout-turned rigid 4 arm 70 which projects through an arcuate slot '{1 inthe opposite end member of the frame. One wall of the slot 69 is formedwith serrations 72 into which the arm 68 will snap so as to hold theramps at different heights, and the arm 70 is connected by means of thelink 7 3 to the arm 74: of a hand lever 75 carried by the upright 4 atthe left hand end of the machine so as to permit operation at this pointalso.

The serrations 72 are so formed that the arm 68 can be forced past thesame.

' cause of the fact that a certain amount of same amount of oil toget erwith a quantie the movable part of which is controlled by ty of air.Inside the chamber 12 the reservoir is provided with a relief valve 80,

a sprinfg 82 adjustable by means of a screw 83. 0 course it is notimperative-to have this relief valve located at this point, but thisarrangement is particularly desirable beleakage is likely to occur atthis valve and:

. this "arrangement avoids trouble therefrom ,to'maintain a layer of oilinto which the because the entire bottom part of the casing can be madeleak-proof. Indeed leakage at this point is advantageous since it tendsv,gj

pinions 34 and 35 may dip thereby lubricating the entire mechanism. Anoverflow port 8-]: isprovidedwhereby the worm and worm gear aresupplied, and any excess of; oil therethrough or any leakage past thepump fplunger is returned to the sumpby way 0 the drain 85. This.drain'also constitutes thevent for the sump and an air inlet formaintaining an air supply in the reservoir.

The operation of the device is as follows+ when the clutch lever 32 isin central position the motor can be: operated without driving any'partexcepting the pump, and by actuating the levers 57 and 58 the shoe canbe moved backwards and forwards as ma be desired in pressing certaintypes of articles without. rotating the roll. By throwing this clutchlever in onedirection or the other the shaft 18 is driven at differentspeeds asmay be required by different classes of work or by 0 erators ofvarying dexterity. The lever 7 5 is normally kept in such position thatthe shoe will be moved away from the roll onl the mini mumdistance,-which is efiected almost in-. stantaneously by the stored upair presure, but upon occasion the ramps maybe raised to permit theremoval of the shoe to such greater distance as may be desirable, and

' still returned by the mechanism without.

physical effort. The clutch. lever 22-23.. is so adjusted that the rollwillbe operated when .the shoe is at or within the-first step butstationary when outside of the first I step. The pressure of the shoeagainst-the roll is adjusted by turning the hand-wheel 83 in an obviousmanner. In case a fuse should become blown out, the current fail, or themotor stop forany other reason, burning of the roll 'or of any articlesbeing ironed i s-prevented by the manipulation of the valve 52 in theusual manner, the capacbut claim the use of and mechanism operable bysuch fluidyof-the reservoir being suflicient the shoe repeatedly afterthe motor hasbeen cut off.

uously as herein shown its capacity may made very small. Whemth'e'pumphas When the pump is made to run contindrained all the oil out of thesump it will begin to pump air, although the pump clear ance and valvearrangements are so chosen as. to limit the maximum pressure atfanydesired point, this pressure therefore being the same regardless of theamount of oil in the machine. If at any time the amount of 'oil becomestoo small a new supply is poured into thecase, this alone serving forthe entire lubrication of the machine excepting theroll shaft: which ispreferably mounted in roller bearings and needs "no oiling.

. It will be understood that I do not-limit myselfto the emplogmentofair-pressure,

uid pressure generally for the purpose described; for example oilpressure alone, the desired pressure adjust-x ment being secured by sring'pressed members cooperating therewith. Also that I do not restrictmyself to a-constantly-running pump since the same can be arranged towork intermittently, either according to the requirement of operatin theshoe, or according to the degree 0 pressure desired.- Also that Ido notrestrict myself to the employment of a fluid-pressure-operatingmechanismin combination with this one type of roll and shoe, but may emplo it incombination with anytype of roll or heated member regardless howarranged and regardless which one-is moved and which is fixed. Also thatI do not limit myself to the particular form and arrangement'of thecontrolling. mechanism or to the arrangement of the gearin or to thenumber and location of the various cylinders and theirco-operating'parts or in .any other manner excepting asspecificallyrecited in the claims hereto annexed. i

- Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a selfmachine, a. frame, a revoluble roller and a heated shoecarried-thereby, said reller and contained, domestic ironing shoe beingmovable one toward and from the other, in combination with fluidpressure means for effecting such movement "and electrically operatedmeans carried by, said frame for driving said roller and for producingsuch fluid pressure.

2.In' a self-contained,

sure' for effecting such movement.

domestic ironing machine, 1n -combination, a frame a roller and a heatedshoe carried thereby, one mov- 3. In a self-contained, domestic ironingmachine, in combination, a frame a roller and a heated shoe carriedthereby, one movable toward and from the other, a fluidpressurepumpcarried by said frame, power-means for driving said roller andoperating said pump, mechanism operable by such fluid pressure foreffecting such movement, and means for adjustably controlling such fluidpressure whereby the pressure of said roller against said heated memberis regulated.

4. In an ironing machine, a roller and a heated member, one movabletoward and from the other, a fluid pressure pump, power-means fordriving said roller and pump, mechanism operable by such fluid pressurefor effecting such movement, and means for arresting the separatingmovement of said member and roller at various predetermined points.

In a self-contained, domestic ironing machine, in combination, a frame arollerand a heated shoe carried thereby, one movable toward and from theother, a fluidpressure pump carried by said frame, power-means fordriving said roller and operating said pump, mechanism operable by suchfluid pressure for effecting such 'movement, and controlling meansoperable from a plurality of different positions on said machine forcontrolling the time and direction of application of such fluid pressureto such mechanism.

6. In an ironing machine, a' roller and a heated member, one movabletoward and from the other, a fluid pressure pump, a motor continuouslyconnected to said pump in driving relation, separable drivingconnections between said motor and roller, fluid-pressure-actuatedmechanism for effecting the relative movement of said roller and heatedmember,manually operable devices for controlling the application ofsaid.

fluid pressure to said mechanism, and automatically operated means forconnecting said separable connections upon approach ing movement of saidheated member and roller and for disconnecting the same upon the reversemovement thereof.

7. In an ironing machine, a roller and a heated member, one movabletoward and from the other, a liquid pressure pump, a motor operativelyconnected to said pump in driving relation, an air-pressure reservoirconnected to said pump, a manually regulable pressure-controlling valvecommunicating with the bottom of said reservoir, fluidpressure-actuatedmechanism for effecting the-relative movement of said roller and heatedmember, and manually operable de vices for connecting said reservoir tosaid vmechanism in either approaching or separating relation.

connected with said liquid-pressure devices for maintaining the pressureelastic.

9. In an ironing machine, a roll and a shoe, one movable toward and fromthe other, piston and cylinder devices for effecting such movement, anair chamber and a liquid chamber carried by said machine, a pumpconnecting the bottom of said chambers, operative connections betweenthe pump and the-motor which operates the roll, and valve devices forconnecting the bottom part of said air chamber to either end of thecylinder and piston devices and for venting the opposite end of the sameto said liquid chamber.

10. In an ironing machine, in combination, a roll and a shoe, onemovable toward and from the other, piston and cylinder devices foreffecting such movement, a mo tor, driving connections between saidmotor and roll including a clutch, a pump connected to said motorindependently of said clutch, a fluid pressure reservoir into which saidpump delivers, manually controllable valves for connecting saidreservoir to said piston and cylinder devices, and means operative bythe movement so produced for operating said clutch.

11. In an ironin machine, in combination, a roller and a eated member,movable the one toward and from the other, and fluid pressure devicesfor effecting such movement, said devices comprising a reservoir, asump, and a constantly running pump there-between, together withsuitable cylinders and pistons, there being suflicient liquid in thesystem to fill said cylinders at least once and said reservoir and saidsump being each of suflicient size to hold all the liquid in the system.

12. In an ironing machine, a roll and a shoe, one movable toward andfrom the other, piston and cylinder devices for effecting such movement,a motor, a selective speed gearing driven thereby, driving connectionsbetween said gearing and said roll, said connections including a clutch,manually controllable valves for such fluid pressure devices, and-'means operative by the movement so produced for operating saidcluteh.

13. In a self-contained, domestic ironing machine, in combination, aframe, a roll journaled therein, a shoe carried by said frame andmovable toward and from. said roll, a motor carried by said frame, anenergy-storing device carried by said frame and operated by said motor,manually con trollable means for connecting said device to said shoes tomove the same toward and away from the roll by said stored energy,

and means for connecting said motor in drivin relation to said roll.

14. n an ironing machine, in combina tion, a roll, a shoe movable towardand from .the same, means for stopping the retreatfluid pressure devicesfor efiecting such movement and producing ironing pressure between, saidshoe and roll and pressing the same against the roll, means foradjusting such pressure, and manually controllable valves for governingtheapplicati'on'of such .fluid pressure.

16. In an ironing machine, a roll, a shoe, movable toward and from thesame, a gear chamber, a pressure reservoir having a relief valve openinginto gear chamber, a motor, an oil pump'driven thereby and connected tosaid reservoir, gearing in said chamber for connecting said motor tosaid roll, piston and c linder devices operativ'ely connected to sai andmanually operable I valve devices for shoe in such wise as to move thesame toward and from said roll,

controlling the admission of oil from said reservoir to said piston andcylinder devices.

17 In an ironing machine, in combination, a frame having at one end apair of spaced uprights, a shoe carried by one upright, a feeding shelfrigidly attached to the other upright, and a roll journaled between saidfeeding shelf and shoe both said shoe and said roll projecting beyondsaid uprights and the journal device including an oilsetbracket securedto its upright at a point beneath said shelf and projecting laterallytoward said shoe. 7 r

18. In? an ironing machine, in combination, a frame having a pair ofuprights, a

horizontal feed shelf rigidly carried thereby, an offset bracketprojecting laterally' from one of said uprights at a point beneath saidshelf and extending to a point removed beyond the end of its upright, aroll journale dto saidbracket and to the other upright and having itstop approximately level with the top of said shelf, and a shoe supportedby-said frame on the opposite side of said roll, and having a lengthsubstantially equal to that of the rol In testimony whereof, I hereuntoaifix my signature,

JAMES B. KIRBY.

